1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to railroad guide rails and, in particular, to an improved system, method, and apparatus for supporting a railroad guide rail.
2. Description of the Related Art
A guide or guard rail aligns the wheels on railroad cars to prevent damage to track components. Guide rails also force the wheels to follow a desired path where the wheels may derail. Guide rails are located in railroad tracks adjacent the high side of curves, across bridges, adjacent turnout frogs, and at elevated sections of track. At turnout frogs, guide rails divert the path of one wheel of a railroad car to cause the opposite wheel to be drawn away from the turnout frog. Otherwise, a wheel may strike the frog and cause undesired wear or damage to the frog.
Some guide rails are not adjustable and are replaced when the guide rail face has worn such that it no longer properly guides the path of the non-guarded wheels. Some guide rails are formed from track rail that is parallel to the guarded running rail. Installation of the heavy track rail was difficult and somewhat imprecise. In many instances, the guide rail assembly is mounted on the same tie plates as that of the traffic rail, thus linking the installation points of the guide rail to the tie spacing. Other guide rails are fastened to the traffic rail. Such fastening often requires drilling of the running rail, which makes installation difficult.
Still other guide rails are formed from rolled steel. The guide bars are mounted on a bracket or brace and provide a guide face parallel to the gage line of a running rail. The guard bars and the support brackets or braces are separate items, and only the guard bar is replaced when the guard face wears beyond an acceptable limit. Again, some guide rail assemblies do not have an adjustment to compensate for the wear of the guard face. However, some recent designs provide an adjustment to compensate for wear of the guard face.
Most guide rail assemblies are secured to tie plates for traffic rails or directly to the traffic rails themselves by threaded fasteners or by welding. Threaded fasteners require a high level of maintenance due to their tendency to loosen over a period of time. Those guide rail assemblies that are affixed to the running rail and require drilling of the running rail are time consuming and difficult to install and maintain. Thus, an improved guide rail support system that overcomes the problems associated with the prior art would be desirable.